Weaving Strength, Weaving Power

“Although all women are affected by gendered oppression, women of color often confront multiple forms of oppression in their lives, including structural violence from the very systems targeted for change by VAWA, as well as lateral violence and abuse within intimate relationships, families and communities with little attention or fanfare.” (Weaving Strength, Weaving Power: Violence and Abuse Against Indigenous Women, pg 7, 2011.)

As I learned about the atrocities we faced over my career and lifetime, and raised and carried my own children, I became increasingly conscious of the ages of my kids and the damage of boarding schools. I would find myself thinking this is when they would come after my kids. Our kids are everything and I understood the grief, despair and hopelessness created by these policies.. this one level of structural violence we encountered with exponential consequences. Another day of truth, another day the generations makes a conscious decision to heal from the unthinkable.